Brad Hunter - Toronto Sun
Donkey penises and skin are prized for folk medicine in
China triggering illicit smuggling
Nigerian authorities intercepted an illicit shipment of 7,000 donkey penises destined for horndogs in Hong Kong who believe it boosts their libido.
But it was the stench of the penises packed in 16 sacks that tipped off customs officials at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in the capital of Lagos.
Airport customs controller Sambo Dangaladima told the BBC News Pidgin , the British broadcaster’s online news service in West African Pidgin English, that the animal parts were found in sacks in the animal export section.
Donkey parts — mostly penises and skin — command big money in Asia where they’re seen as an aphrodisiac. The illicit trade is sadly common, the BBC reports.
Dangaladima said that the prime suspect linked to the shipment — worth an estimated $610,000 (200 million Nigerian naira) — managed to slip away and evade capture.
The illicit trade of donkey parts — including the animal’s penises and skin — from Nigeria to China is common. The parts make a folk medicine called ejiao.
According to PETA, donkey prices have shot up during the past decade with the rise in demand for the concoction. Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal have banned donkey exports to China.
The Donkey Sanctuary said in 2019 that 4.8 million donkey hides were required to satisfy the global demand for ejiao resulting in a planet-wide decrease in population. As a result, Brazil also banned donkey exports to China.
BBC News said that in June, the Nigerian Customs Service intercepted three 100-kilogram bags filled with donkey genitalia and 3,712 pieces of donkey skin at an airport.
Four months earlier in March, four suspects were arrested while they were trying to smuggle 2,754 donkey penises and 3,712 pieces of skin.
Between 2012 and 2018, Nigeria claims it lost an eye-watering $9 billion to the black-market trade destined for China. In Nigeria, it is illegal to kill donkeys for their body parts.
The Donkey Dealers Association of Nigeria wants harsh penalties for smugglers.
bhunter@postmedia.com
@HunterTOSun
Nigerian authorities intercepted an illicit shipment of 7,000 donkey penises destined for horndogs in Hong Kong who believe it boosts their libido.
But it was the stench of the penises packed in 16 sacks that tipped off customs officials at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in the capital of Lagos.
Airport customs controller Sambo Dangaladima told the BBC News Pidgin , the British broadcaster’s online news service in West African Pidgin English, that the animal parts were found in sacks in the animal export section.
Donkey parts — mostly penises and skin — command big money in Asia where they’re seen as an aphrodisiac. The illicit trade is sadly common, the BBC reports.
Dangaladima said that the prime suspect linked to the shipment — worth an estimated $610,000 (200 million Nigerian naira) — managed to slip away and evade capture.
The illicit trade of donkey parts — including the animal’s penises and skin — from Nigeria to China is common. The parts make a folk medicine called ejiao.
According to PETA, donkey prices have shot up during the past decade with the rise in demand for the concoction. Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal have banned donkey exports to China.
The Donkey Sanctuary said in 2019 that 4.8 million donkey hides were required to satisfy the global demand for ejiao resulting in a planet-wide decrease in population. As a result, Brazil also banned donkey exports to China.
BBC News said that in June, the Nigerian Customs Service intercepted three 100-kilogram bags filled with donkey genitalia and 3,712 pieces of donkey skin at an airport.
Four months earlier in March, four suspects were arrested while they were trying to smuggle 2,754 donkey penises and 3,712 pieces of skin.
Between 2012 and 2018, Nigeria claims it lost an eye-watering $9 billion to the black-market trade destined for China. In Nigeria, it is illegal to kill donkeys for their body parts.
The Donkey Dealers Association of Nigeria wants harsh penalties for smugglers.
bhunter@postmedia.com
@HunterTOSun
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